Elks honor ‘Star-Spangled' essay winners

Published: Monday, January 28, 2013 at 6:10 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, January 28, 2013 at 6:10 a.m.

When Alana Robinson sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” each morning at Clear Creek Elementary School, it reminds her of the sacrifices many Americans made for their country.

But there was a time when the morning ritual represented something more personal to the fifth-grader: Each day she sang in honor of her mother, Chasedy, who was serving in Iraq with the Army National Guard.

“When my mom was away, whenever I sang the national anthem, I knew that my mom was fighting strong and never giving up,” Alana wrote in an essay that placed first among fifth- and sixth-grade entrants in a local Elks Club contest.

On Sunday, Alana was one of six students recognized with an “Americanism Essay Award” from the Hendersonville Elks Club for answering the question, “What does the national anthem mean to me?”

Each of the students won a $50 savings bond or its cash equivalent. Their essays will go on to compete in the North Carolina Elks West District competition. All told, 198 essays were submitted by local students.

“That's pretty amazing for this little town, huh?” said Michele Cassone, exalted ruler of Elks Lodge 1616, who presented certificates to each winner at a 3 p.m. ceremony.

For Nathan “Quinn” Kelsch, an eighthgrader at Immaculata Catholic School, the song penned by Francis Scott Key after witnessing British ships bombard Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 reminds him “of our country's fight for our beginning and our enduring ideals.”

“Our national anthem is special to me because it speaks to how strong and hopeful our country has always been,” wrote Quinn, who won first place among seventh- and eighth-graders. His poetic descriptions of the Battle of Fort McHenry struck a chord with Elks judges.

“As the morning light shown over the top of Fort McHenry, it caught in its glowing beams the tattered and torn American flag, still flying over the ravaged fort,” Quinn wrote.

This year, all three middle-school winners were from Patricia Fisher's class at Immaculata. Archie Case III won second place for seventh- and eighth-graders, while Joe Maddock came in third.

Susanne Thomas of St. Dominic Savio Homeschool Co-op placed second in the fifth- and sixth-grade division, while Grace Vinzant of Clear Creek Elementary won third.

“So many of us just sing (the anthem), and we don't really think about what it really means,” Cassone said before the ceremony. “It's really neat to hear what it means to these children to be an American and what it means to them to hear the ‘Star-Spangled Banner.' ” Alana and Grace are both students of Clear Creek teacher Sally Hale, who attended the ceremony. Hale said the Elks essay contest gave all of her language arts students an opportunity to absorb some history while learning to express themselves.

“They truly enjoyed it,” Hale said. “We went and looked at a (video) clip on Discovery Streaming about the history of the national anthem. They really got into it.”

Cassone presented a certificate of recognition to Hale, home school teacher Tamara Thomas and Fisher.

<p>When Alana Robinson sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” each morning at Clear Creek Elementary School, it reminds her of the sacrifices many Americans made for their country.</p><p>But there was a time when the morning ritual represented something more personal to the fifth-grader: Each day she sang in honor of her mother, Chasedy, who was serving in Iraq with the Army National Guard.</p><p>“When my mom was away, whenever I sang the national anthem, I knew that my mom was fighting strong and never giving up,” Alana wrote in an essay that placed first among fifth- and sixth-grade entrants in a local Elks Club contest.</p><p>On Sunday, Alana was one of six students recognized with an “Americanism Essay Award” from the Hendersonville Elks Club for answering the question, “What does the national anthem mean to me?”</p><p>Each of the students won a $50 savings bond or its cash equivalent. Their essays will go on to compete in the North Carolina Elks West District competition. All told, 198 essays were submitted by local students.</p><p>“That's pretty amazing for this little town, huh?” said Michele Cassone, exalted ruler of Elks Lodge 1616, who presented certificates to each winner at a 3 p.m. ceremony.</p><p>For Nathan “Quinn” Kelsch, an eighthgrader at Immaculata Catholic School, the song penned by Francis Scott Key after witnessing British ships bombard Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 reminds him “of our country's fight for our beginning and our enduring ideals.”</p><p>“Our national anthem is special to me because it speaks to how strong and hopeful our country has always been,” wrote Quinn, who won first place among seventh- and eighth-graders. His poetic descriptions of the Battle of Fort McHenry struck a chord with Elks judges.</p><p>“As the morning light shown over the top of Fort McHenry, it caught in its glowing beams the tattered and torn American flag, still flying over the ravaged fort,” Quinn wrote.</p><p>This year, all three middle-school winners were from Patricia Fisher's class at Immaculata. Archie Case III won second place for seventh- and eighth-graders, while Joe Maddock came in third.</p><p>Susanne Thomas of St. Dominic Savio Homeschool Co-op placed second in the fifth- and sixth-grade division, while Grace Vinzant of Clear Creek Elementary won third.</p><p>“So many of us just sing (the anthem), and we don't really think about what it really means,” Cassone said before the ceremony. “It's really neat to hear what it means to these children to be an American and what it means to them to hear the 'Star-Spangled Banner.' ” Alana and Grace are both students of Clear Creek teacher Sally Hale, who attended the ceremony. Hale said the Elks essay contest gave all of her language arts students an opportunity to absorb some history while learning to express themselves.</p><p>“They truly enjoyed it,” Hale said. “We went and looked at a (video) clip on Discovery Streaming about the history of the national anthem. They really got into it.”</p><p>Cassone presented a certificate of recognition to Hale, home school teacher Tamara Thomas and Fisher.</p><p>Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.</p>